This invention relates generally to an apparatus, and method of forming an apparatus, for allowing a single user to practice using a ball so that the user can kick or throw the ball away from him or her, and the ball will return, and more particularly to an apparatus, and a method for forming the apparatus, of attaching an elastic cord to a ball to produce the above-mentioned results. While individual practice devices with balls have taken various forms in the past, none have sufficiently allowed a user to practice playing a variety of sports involving a ball by his or herself.
For example, for use of a practice device with a solid core ball such as a baseball, in the past a bore has been formed in the ball which passes all the way through the diameter of the ball. Thereafter, a plug is inserted into the ball to hold a cord within the ball. Finally, a cap is placed over the end of the bore opposite where the cord emanates from. Alternatively, a bore has been formed in a ball, and then a loop passed through the bore, one end of the loop emanating from each side of the bore. Finally, bores passing less than the full diameter of the ball have been used. In each of these situations, the other end of the cord is attached to some part of the user's body. However, these have always held the ball insufficiently and have been relatively difficult to fabricate.
For use of a practice device with an inflatable ball, the prior art has been even less useful. A two-piece inflatable ball has been placed in a net which closes around the ball. Upon closure, a cord attached to the net may be attached to the ground. However, this results in the situation that the user must come into contact with the net before coming in contact with the ball, thus taking away some of the realism in the practice device.